LIMIT REDIRECTIONS IN AN UNLICENSED MOBILE ACCESS NETWORK

• US 20090075660A1
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Vikberg, Jari Tapio, Nylander, Tomas, Hallenstal, Magnus
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system to limit redirections by using a redirection counter contained within the mobile station (MS 132) registration request (663 or 667). Once the redirection counter has exceeded a certain value for a MS (132), the unlicensed network controller (UNC 142) will reject any registration request from that MS (132). More specifically, the present invention provides a method for limiting redirections of mobile stations (132) in an unlicensed radio access network (102) by initializing a redirection counter (1206), including the redirection counter in a registration request (1208), and incrementing the redirection counter each time a re-direct response is received in response to the registration request (1212).

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A Method for limiting redirections of mobile stations from an unlicensed network controller (WC) to a different UNC in an unlicensed radio access network, the method comprising the steps of:

setting the value of a redirection counter on a mobile station to zero;

sending a registration request from said mobile station to said CTNC, said registration request including a redirection counter value; and

responsive to said mobile station receiving a response from any UNC to redirect said registration request to a different UXC, incrementing the redirection counter. wherein in the event said redirection counter exceeds a threshold value, said different UNC rejecting any additional registration requests.

24. A method for limiting redirections of mobile stations from a first unlicensed radio access network to a second unlicensed radio access network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a registration request from a mobile station within said first unlicensed radio access network, wherein. said registration request includes a redirection counter value, said redirection counter value indicating the total number of times said mobile station has been instructed to redirect to a different unlicensed radio access network;

processing the registration request normally whenever the redirection counter does not exceed a certain value; and

sending a rejection response to said mobile station whenever the redirection counter value matches or exceeds the certain value.

27. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for limiting redirections of mobile stations from a unlicensed network controller (UNC) to a different UNC in an unlicensed radio access network comprising:

a code segment for setting a redirection counter on a mobile station to zero;

a code segment for sending a registration request from said mobile station to the UNC, said registration request including a redirection counter value; and

a code segment for incrementing the redirection counter in response to the mobile station receiving an instruction from any UNC to redirect said registration request to a different UNC, wherein in the event said redirection counter exceeds a certain redirection counter value, said different UNC rejecting any additional registration requests.

30. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for limiting redirections of mobile stations from a first unlicensed radio access network to a second unlicensed radio access network the computer program comprising:

a code segment for receiving a registration request from a mobile station within said first unlicensed radio access network wherein said registration request includes a value of a redirection counter on the mobile station, wherein the value of the redirection counter on the mobile station is the total number of times said mobile station has been instructed to redirect to a different unlicensed radio access network;

a code segment for processing the registration request normally whenever the redirection counter does not exceed a limit; and

a code segment for sending a rejection response to said mobile station if said value of the redirection counter exceeds a specified value.

33. An unlicensed-radio access system connected to a core network portion of a licensed mobile network, the unlicensed-radio access system comprising:

one or more access points adapted to communicate with mobile stations over an unlicensed-radio interface,

one or more unlicensed mobile access point controllers connected to the core network portion of the licensed mobile network and

a fixed broadband network connected to both the access points and the unlicensed mobile access point controller, wherein the one or more unlicensed mobile access point controllers include a redirection counter value in each registration request

from the mobile stations to limit redirections of the mobile stations.